Regulatory Roundup, March 25, 2016

Regulatory Roundup is a weekly compilation of employee wellness and safety news.

Texas Mutual News

Office workers: Stand up for your healthSedentary work has increased 83 percent since 1950, accounting for 43 percent of our nation’s jobs. The average office worker spends approximately 77 percent of their day sitting. All that chair time does wonders for your productivity, but it also takes a serious toll on your health…MORE

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)

Safety knows no boundariesSafer offshore oil rigs don’t have to exclusively exist in a galaxy far, far away. Under a five-year partnership, NASA will examine risks in the offshore industry and share lessons learned from the space program with the BSEE…MORE

Federal Highway Administration (FHA)

New performance measures will aid data-driven approachThe FHA published two rules designed to reduce deaths and injuries on the nation’s highways. One rule establishes performance measures for states to track the number of crash-related deaths and injuries, pedestrian and bicyclist deaths and injuries, and deaths and injuries per miles traveled. The second rule includes changes in reporting regulations that were required by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act…MORE

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

NIOSH innovation brings silica monitoring to the mineNIOSH researchers have developed a portable instrument that measures silica concentrations on site in less than one minute. The reusable instrument spares employers the expense of sending a sample to a lab for analysis…MORE

NIOSH recommends strategies for protecting older driversResearch shows that older drivers are more likely than their younger counterparts to adopt safe behaviors such as wearing a seat belt and complying with speed limits. However, drivers age 55 and older have twice the risk of dying in a work-related crash than younger workers do. Employers should adopt policies that address failing vision, decreased reaction time and other age-related physical and mental changes that affect older workers’ driving…MORE

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

FDA orders manufacturers to add warnings to immediate-release opioidsThe warnings clarify that opioids should be reserved for cases in which there is no alternative treatment. They also address the potentially fatal consequences of misuse, and they caution against opioid use during pregnancy…MORE

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

OSHA issues long-awaited silica ruleAfter nearly 15 years and countless conversations with stakeholders representing every conceivable side of the issue, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration unveiled its new rule on silica exposure this week…MORE

What happened to the I2P2 standard?In 2010, injury and illness prevention programs (I2P2) were high on OSHA’s regulatory agenda. Today, I2P2 has been relegated to the agency’s “long-term” category, which effectively means it will not see the light of day. Politics, business opposition and competing priorities collaborated to stop the I2P2 movement in its tracks…MORE

OSHA fines to increase 80 percentViolating OSHA standards is about to cost employers more. On Aug. 1, 2016, OSHA will increase its fee structure 80 percent. The most serious violations will increase from a maximum of $70,000 to $124,710…MORE

A look back at year 1 of OSHA’s revised injury reporting ruleDuring the first year under the revised injury reporting and recordkeeping rule, OSHA received 10,000 injury reports. That amounts to 30 severe injuries reported per day. The manufacturing industry accounted for 26 percent of severe injuries, followed by construction at 19 percent and oil and gas at 3 percent…MORE

OSHA’s rules on housekeeping (and how they help keep your workplace safe)Clean, orderly workplaces promote productivity and decrease the risk of someone getting injured on the job. There is no single OSHA standard for housekeeping, but several standards include housekeeping provisions designed to protect workers from fires, electrocutions, trips and other hazards…MORE

Studies, Resources, Trends, News

Truck drivers with untreated sleep apnea have a five-time greater risk of crashesResearchers with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute speculated that if they followed 1,000 truck drivers over a one-year period, drivers with obstructive sleep apnea who refused treatment would experience 70 preventable serious truck crashes. That compares to 14 crashes experienced by a control group and by drivers with sleep apnea who adhered to treatment…MORE

Volvo trucks issues safety recallIf you operate a Volvo Class 8 motor vehicle, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration advises you to take it out of service immediately. A faulty two-piece steering shaft in the vehicles can lead to separation of the steering shaft without warning and an immediate loss of steering ability and control…MORE